Always Cold
by Not Jeff
Summary: Jack is always cold, and feels he doesn't deserve warmth. Important A/N inside.
1. Prologue

A/N: I am putting this story on a temporary hiatus. I had some recent ideas that I'd like to implement in the story, but that may involve rewriting a few things. I haven't been able to change a whole lot lately because of school, sorry.

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Sometimes, Jack just wants to be warm. He wants the warmth of a caring hug, an affectionate glance, a loving touch or word. Even as a spirit, when he didn't remember the feeling of his mother's arms wrapped warmly around him, all he wanted was for someone to be close.

Never being seen by anyone made this impossible. He would look and see happy families, sitting around a fire, just enjoying what they all have together. He would dream of what it felt like to simply share a moment with someone, to be warm and happy, to finally dispel that unending cold, that it almost drove him insane, and sometimes, it did.

Raging blizzards that might last hours or days or weeks, and the endless guilt that came after for punishing those that couldn't help what they did. That couldn't help but not see him, because in their minds, Jack Frost was merely a myth, something to blame their winter time troubles on.

When he met other spirits, they often found him an annoyance. They didn't appreciate it when he disrupted their tasks with snowball fights, hated it when he caused small snowstorms on their holidays. They would always make it clear that his antics were unwelcome.

He could clearly remember that ruined Easter, hurting Bunny, who was only trying to spread hope among children. Yet another that he has wrongfully harmed.

He resigns himself to never having anyone see him, to never be cared for, to never feel warm. Really, to hope for something like that, it just doesn't make sense.

And then he's needed. The Guardians need him, his help, to protect the children of the world from the Nightmare King, and he's frightened, so frightened, that he'll only be forgotten afterwards, even if they win. The idea of what will happen if they lose…

But they don't lose, and he finally has believers. Children who are happy to see him, children who make him feel warm. But even that can't last. Children grow older, and those who don't forget, well. They don't last forever. Someday, they'll be gone, and Jack will be left feeling cold once more.

Because even his fellow Guardians, they have things they need to do, things that are more important than spending time with one lost, lonely, sad little winter spirit. To try and explain what it's like to feel so cold all the time, they just wouldn't understand. He's a winter spirit, shouldn't he be happy feeling cold?

Sometimes, he thinks he's asking for too much. Because what right does Jack Frost, the trickster and troublemaker, have to feel warm? He's just one among many, and those many need to be warm just as much, if not more, than he does.

Really, just look at the Guardians. They may have their elves and yeti, or little tooth fairies, or even living eggs or sand creatures, but how often do they get to feel the warmth of a loved ones arms? To have any affection at all, the love of their families greeting them, happy simply to have them?

If they don't get that warmth, then neither does Jack.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed and asked for another chapter. Just one note. I have no idea what I'm doing. No updating schedule, I post whenever I complete a chapter. Probably a bad practice, but whatever. I'm inconsistent, Yay! Sorry. Oh, and small mention of alcoholism, possibly drugs.

I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

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Jack enjoys his snow days. Each one is filled with the happy laughter of children, and the admittedly funny groans of adults. Burgess gets most of them, though, even after he's become a Guardian. When Jack isn't around the world, slowly gaining believers, he's at his home, laughing with his few originals.

At least, the ones who still believed.

Five years is a long time, for the kids. Jamie, Caleb, and Cupcake are the only older children who still believe, while Sophie has continued to go on strong. Although, Sophie's belief was more in Bunny than anyone else.

Jack has managed to get around twenty or so believers, but there's a difference between a friend and a child who can see you. And an old man that Jack's fairly certain has never spent a day sober, but he doesn't like hanging around Charlie.

Eh, he's actually too bad. Charlie's probably lonely; he doesn't seem to have family. Probably feels a little chilled all the time, maybe he just needs a friend? It's got to be nice, having someone to talk too, and Charlie has some interesting stories. Like how he's convinced the city is alive, every wall breathing, the streets her scars, the sewers her blood. It's kind of poetic, when the old guy isn't hurling.

Jack may be getting a bit desperate.

Maybe he should visit North again, Christmas was two weeks ago, he can't have anything planned yet. It couldn't hurt, right?

***Line Break***

A/N: I haven't used any dialogue yet, have I? Oh well, probably next chapter. Maybe. Or should this be an all-silent story, where Sandman rules supreme? Eh, maybe not quite that. I'll work on my conversational skills. Probably. Maybe. Muteness is awesome.


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